Public
Accredited · Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Media, Pennsylvania
95.3% Acceptance Rate
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
95.3%Acceptance Rate
1211Avg SAT
24Avg ACT
$30,201Annual Cost
$63,435Grad Salary
34.8%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
95.3%
Avg SAT
1211
Avg ACT
24
Selectivity
Inclusive
Institution Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
SAT Middle 50%
1110–1340
ACT Middle 50%
18–29
Avg Net Price
$22,518
Need-Based Aid
34.8% receive Pell
Penn State Brandywine, established in 1967, is a Commonwealth Campus located on 112 acres in suburban Philadelphia. The campus offers the first two years of all Penn State majors plus 4 bachelor's degrees that can be completed locally. Brandywine features modern facilities including the Main Building and the Vairo Library, maintaining a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The campus's '2+2' program provides a pathway to Penn State's University Park or other campuses.
Brandywine's location provides internship opportunities with Philadelphia-area corporations and healthcare systems. The campus's Continuing Education department offers professional development programs for working adults. Brandywine's partnership with Delaware County Community College facilitates transfer pathways, while its STEM outreach programs serve local schools. The campus hosts cultural events including the annual Penn State Brandywine Arts and Lecture Series.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine Acceptance Rate
Admission at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine is inclusive by design. 95.3% of applicants who meet basic eligibility are accepted.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in. They are worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Selectivity scale: Inclusive — 95.3% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine follows a Rolling Admissions policy, meaning applications are reviewed as they arrive and there is no single fixed deadline, though the priority deadline of November 1 is recommended for the best chances of admission and financial aid.
Key Admission Dates
⏳ 79 days left — Priority Freshman
Rolling Admissions — Apply Anytime
Penn State reviews applications continuously throughout the year. Seats and scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early gives you a significant advantage for both admission and financial aid.
Priority Freshman
November 1
Decision by: December 24
💡 The scholarship deadline (November 1, 2026) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Check Your Admission Chances at Penn State
Admission Chance Predictor
Built from Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine's own verified admissions data — adjust the sliders below
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Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
⚠️ Note: Predicting based on regional averages as this institution does not publicly report full score datasets.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine (Penn State) Test Requirements
Scores aren't just a formality at Penn State. Landing within or above the 2026 admitted class's middle 50% keeps you fully competitive, even where submission is optional.
Can I Get Into Penn State Without SAT or ACT?
Penn State considers scores when submitted, without requiring them. Prepare well and submit your best attempt. Most applicants test 2–3 times.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine Average SAT Score: 1211
Admitted students at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine average a 1211 SAT (out of 1600).
SAT Competitiveness
SAT 1211 — Slightly Competitive
A 1211 average tracks near the middle of the national distribution.
Key Insight: Aim for the 75th percentile (1340 SAT or 29 ACT) to stand out. Below average? Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine allows Score Choice for the SAT, so a retake only helps — a low sitting never has to be sent.
Scored under 1110? A retake is worth it at Penn State. Two or three sittings is standard for competitive applicants, and there's no cap on how many times you can test.
SAT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Math | 610 | 540 | 680 |
| SAT Reading | 615 | 570 | 660 |
| SAT Composite | 1211 | 1110 | 1340 |
A score under 1110 puts you in the lower quarter of admits; 1340+ puts you ahead of three-quarters of the admitted class. (These percentiles mark where a given share of the admitted class scored at or below.)
View list of all colleges with average SAT score of 1200
Can I get into Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine (Penn State) with a 1350 SAT?
At 1350, your SAT is squarely in Penn State's favor. That said, admissions staff read the full file. GPA, activities, and essays still carry real weight even with a strong score in hand.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine (Penn State) ACT Requirements
Penn State's admitted students average an ACT of 24.
ACT Competitiveness
ACT 24 — Slightly Competitive
An average of 24 tracks near the middle of the national distribution.
ACT Scores Breakdown by Sections
| Section | Average | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT Math | 22 | 19 | 25 |
| ACT English | 24 | 17 | 31 |
| ACT Composite | 24 | 18 | 29 |
Can I get into Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine with a 29 ACT?
At 29, you're in the top quarter of Penn State's admitted class by ACT score. That's a real advantage, but admissions still reads GPA, essays, and activities alongside it.
The ACT's four sections, English, Math, Reading, and Science, are each scored independently on a 1–36 scale, and admissions staff do notice a lopsided breakdown. If one section trails the others significantly, that's worth addressing before you apply, particularly for STEM programs where Science carries extra weight.
Beyond the number itself, Penn State weighs your transcript rigor, activities, recommendations, and essays just as heavily. The ACT opens the door, and the rest of your file decides what happens next.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Penn State
Inclusive Strategy: Success & Transfer
Penn State provides an open gateway to higher education. Success here is about using available resources well and planning your longer-term academic or career path.
Play the Campus-Choice Game Strategically
Penn State admits you to a specific campus, not the university as a whole - every applicant must list a first-choice and an alternate-choice campus, and Admissions reviews the first choice before ever looking at the second. If Brandywine is genuinely your target, list it first. If you're using Brandywine as a strategic alternate behind a more selective campus like University Park, confirm now that your intended major is one of the 14 bachelor's degrees actually completed on-site at Brandywine - otherwise you'll still need the 2+2 transfer plan to finish your degree.
Use the Optional Essay to Cover a Gap, Not Repeat Your Common App
Penn State's single supplemental prompt - "tell us something about yourself...that would reflect positively on your ability to succeed at Penn State" (650 words or fewer) - is explicitly not a second personal statement. Readers treat it as a patch for anything your transcript and Common App essay don't already explain: a grade dip, a family responsibility, an unconventional interest. If your application already tells a complete story, skip it; a generic "why I love learning" essay reads as filler to a reader who has seen thousands of them.
Map Your 2+2 Transition Before You Enroll, Not After
Brandywine grants only 14 bachelor's and 3 associate degrees on-site, but more than 275 Penn State majors can be started here and finished elsewhere via the 2+2 Plan. If your goal is a major Brandywine doesn't grant locally - architecture, meteorology, most engineering options - meet with an adviser during your first semester, not sophomore year, to build a course sequence meeting entrance-to-major requirements at your target campus. Students who wait until the "official" change-of-campus window in year two often discover they're missing a required science sequence and lose a semester.
Turn the Score-Choice Policy Into a Testing Strategy
Penn State's Score Choice policy is "Highest Sitting" - they consider your best single test date's combined score, not pieced-together section highs across sittings. Test as many times as your schedule allows and self-report only your strongest single date through MyPennState. Brandywine's admitted middle-50% SAT range runs roughly 1080?1290, so a score above 1290 meaningfully strengthens a borderline transcript even though testing is officially optional.
Expert Insight:
Because Brandywine's overall acceptance rate sits near 98%, families sometimes treat the whole application as a formality and skip the optional Personal Statement and the required Educational Gap Statement - but the gap statement is mandatory if any time elapsed between high school graduation and enrollment, and omitting required pieces is one of the few things that actually stalls a decision or costs merit consideration at this level of selectivity.
Penn State Profile
Full Name
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine (Penn State)
City
Media
State
Pennsylvania
ZIP Code
19063-5522
Type
Public
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSACHE)
Is a Penn State Degree Worth It?
Whether Penn State is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals. Here's the data to weigh it against.
Admitted students' families report a median household income around $63,400, and graduates see a 3.15% unemployment rate.
How much does a degree from Penn State Cost?
Listed tuition runs $30,201/year at Penn State. Factor in Pell and federal grant aid, and most students land closer to $22,518.
At Penn State, 34.8% receive a Pell Grant and 51.9% carry federal loans. Filing FAFSA early and naming Penn State on it improves your shot at both.
How much does a Penn State Graduate earn?
Ten years out from enrollment, Penn State graduates report a median income of $63,435, about 56% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Compare Similar Colleges
Less Competitive Schools
These schools have lower average SAT or ACT scores than Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine. If your SAT or ACT score is slightly lower, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham-Southern College | Birmingham, AL | 1197 | 24 |
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR | 1174 | 25 |
| Harding University | Searcy, AR | 1187 | 25 |
| Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA | 1194 | 26 |
| Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, CT | 1200 | NA |
| University of New Haven | West Haven, CT | 1190 | NA |
| Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 1182 | 25 |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, GA | 1178 | 25 |
| Spelman College | Atlanta, GA | 1184 | 24 |
| Hawaii Pacific University | Honolulu, HI | 1180 | 25 |
Equally Competitive Schools
These schools have the same range of average SAT or ACT scores as Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine. If your SAT or ACT score is competitive, you'll be competitive for these schools also.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Mobile | Mobile, AL | 1220 | 24 |
| Samford University | Birmingham, AL | 1203 | 26 |
| Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia, AR | 1212 | 25 |
| University of Hartford | West Hartford, CT | 1207 | 29 |
| Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT | 1212 | 27 |
More Competitive Schools
These schools have higher average SAT or ACT scores than Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine. If you improve your SAT or ACT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.
| School | Location | SAT | ACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | 1251 | 26 |
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | 1287 | 28 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | 1261 | 26 |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott | Prescott, AZ | 1256 | 27 |
| Biola University | La Mirada, CA | 1258 | 27 |
Degree Programs at Penn State
Bachelor Degree Programs
Associate Degree Programs
UG Certificate or Diploma Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About Penn State Admissions
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine graduates earn a moderate median salary of $63,435/year, with some variation by field.
Tuition at Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine is moderate, around $30,201/year; many students supplement with aid.
34.8% of Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine students get a Pell Grant. Your odds depend mostly on household income, and filing FAFSA early still helps maximize what you're offered.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine's acceptance rate is 95.3%, comparatively higher than most selective universities. Admission is more attainable here.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine weighs the SAT heavily. Scoring above 1211, and within the 1110–1340 range, keeps you competitive.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine's deadline is November 1, with decisions out by December 24. Rolling Admissions applies too, so earlier is always better.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine charges an application fee of 65; ask admissions about waiver eligibility if cost is a barrier.
For priority financial aid consideration, get your FAFSA in before November 1, 2026. That's Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine's scholarship priority date.
Transferring in is a well-trodden path here. Line up your transcripts, recommendations, and a strong personal statement before applying.
The biggest levers are academic performance, a clear extracurricular focus, and essays that stand out, plus a solid test score where the school considers one.
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